Cool Art Zine #2: Useless

The second 'zine in my three-day look at supercool arty queer 'zines (as inspired—or ripped-off—from an article in the current issue of V Man Magazine) today brings you a look at photographer/artist Conrad Ventur’s cheekily titled Useless Magazine.



The back (featuring Stephin Merritt) and front covers of Useless, issue no. 1.



NYC's Misshapes graced the cover of Useless, no. 2.


Now, on its third issue, Useless is a downtown NYC-fueled publication full of edgy, stylin’ folks who are setting today’s agenda for arts and design. It’s published tri-annually, and is a big tabloid-sized affair (only the premiere issue was normal magazine-sized). Photographers, musicians, celebutantes all get irreverently profiled in Useless’ pages, as well as folks like musician Stephin Merritt, comedian Margaret Cho, designer Zaldy (the current issue’s cover boy) and so on! In fact, his first issue’s launch party was attended by the likes of Dior Homme’s Hedi Slimane and Yoko Ono (!).

Designer Zaldy keeps it breezy (and hairy!) on the cover of Useless, no. 3.

Avid Useless readers.

Ventur himself (based in Brooklyn) is a one-man art industry. As a photographer (think Wolfgang Tillmanns, but younger and fresher) he’s shot for other magazines galore, maintains his killer website, and is currently living and studying in London, working on his MFA. So, yes, he’s currently moved Useless to the U.K.

Useless founder Conrad Ventur, hard at work. Might a desk make things easier?

Right now, you can catch art from Useless on display in NYC’s Visionaire Gallery (in a big, fat retrospective of innovative magazine art through the decades), the mag was just featured in Publish and Be Damned, an indie magazine expo in London , as well as a show at the Liverpool Biennial, and Ventur’s currently gearing up for his next issue’s launch party in London, which will be part of the Frieze Art Fair which is looming.

Ventur with Publish and Be Damned's Sarah McCrory in London.

Flip Flop, by Conrad Ventur.

So check out the work of Conrad Ventur online, and check out Useless. What’s in a name, anyway?

Ciao, Conrad!